The story begins much like the old joke, “A guy walks into a bar…” Except, in this case, the bar is a restaurant and the guy behind the bar is a waiter or waitress that looks perfectly wholesome and trustworthy. Unfortunately, your server has a camera phone or a sniffer and a friend who steals credit card information.
Option 1 – The Camera Phone
As the server walks away from your table with your credit card, she snaps a quick photo of the credit card. While she’s at it, she’ll probably snap a picture of the back to get the security code.
Option 2 – The Sniffer
The other popular option for this type of credit card theft is a “sniffer.” A sniffer allows the perpetrator to quickly swipe your credit card through a reader that captures your card’s information in a couple of seconds.
With either of these options you become the victim of credit card fraud in a matter of seconds. Short of always using cash, you’re powerless to prevent this type of theft. You can, however, minimize the damage.
- Compare your statement purchases to your credit card receipts and report inconsistencies immediately.
- Check with your bank to be sure they’ll notify you of any suspicious activity.
- If you suspect that you’ve been the victim of fraud, notify your bank immediately.
